1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an improved cartridge-within-a-cavity, one-way check valve for use in a high-pressure, high-temperature pneumatic environment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Cartridge-within-a-cavity, one-way check valves have many uses in industry, however the preferred embodiment of the present invention is intended for one particular use. Large pneumatic systems, such as those employed on large ships, employ dessicant units to remove water from the pneumatic working fluid. These dessicant units are typically redundant, so that one may be removed from the flow path of the pneumatic fluid and purged with hot air to dry captured water vapor from the dessicant in a regeneration cycle.
In order to insure one-way flow of pneumatic fluid and prevent back flow of heated air into the pneumatic system, one-way check valves may be interposed into the flow path to prevent the occurrence of such back flow.
Such one-way check valves are known to the art and are designed to cooperate with the design of the dessicant tower and reside in a cavity provided therein. The check valves known to the prior art however, have demonstrated several serious disadvantages which have limited their useful life within the environment of such high-pressure, high-temperature systems.